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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · club · wave · bulb · lean · hide · content · tube

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for golf
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — a group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lean — thin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. content — the amount
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tube — the underground
  22. club — for dancing
  23. content — happy
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com